The present invention relates to a fixing apparatus for fixing an image transferred to a paper sheet, which is comprised in an electrophotographic copying machine, for example.
Several fixing apparatuses of this kind comprise a heat roller and a press roller which roll in contact with each other. A paper sheet onto which an image has been transferred is let pass between the heat and press rollers, thereby heating and press the paper sheet to fix the transferred image to the paper sheet.
When fixing this transferred image, dirt of toner or the like sticks to the surface of the press roller in some cases. Therefore, a cleaning roller made of metal is pressed into contact with the press roller, and dirt of the press roller is removed by this cleaning roller.
The surface of the metal-made cleaning roller described above is subjected to polish processing after molding. During the polish processing, oil or the like is applied to the surface of the cleaning roller. This oil is removed from the surface of the cleaning roller by ultrasonic washing.
However, in some cases, the oil cannot be sufficiently removed by the ultrasonic washing but oil partially remains on the surface of the cleaning roller.
If oil thus remains on the surface of the cleaning roller, the part cannot provide sufficient adhesive strength. Consequently, even if dirt is cleaned from the press roller, the dirt easily peels off from the cleaning roller. Therefore, sufficient cleaning performance cannot be attained, so a problem arises in that the cleaned dirt sticks to the press roller again from the cleaning roller and stains the paper sheet or falls off from the cleaning roller and stains the inside of the fixing apparatus.
Further, mixture of a part to which toner sticks and a part free from toner on the cleaning roller is a factor which accelerates cleaning defects and the problem becomes worse.